Reply With QuoteI can see it happening. Not all phones require you to press a button to see the time, some have a permanent 'always on' time display. And many teenagers have a phone in hand constantly so they don't even need to remove one from a pocket.
It was mentioned once again in another thread that watches are being replaced by phones and that the younger generations will not wear watches in the same way that we do.
That got me thinking; I'd be lost without a watch on to tell the time. The inconvenience of having to take my phone out of my pocket and press a button in order to see what time it is would really irritate me.
I understand why Apple (amongst others) are putting phone functionality on the wrist but that still counts as a watch to me.
Do we really think that the next generations will not wear any form of time reading device on their wrist and will instead rely solely on their mobile phones?
I for one am not so sure.
I can see it happening. Not all phones require you to press a button to see the time, some have a permanent 'always on' time display. And many teenagers have a phone in hand constantly so they don't even need to remove one from a pocket.
There will always be a market for both in my opinion and even if the young are turning more to phones at the moment, they will want to wear a watch as a fashion item at the very least. As they mature they'll then start to 'get' the watch thing . . . . . And join here 😜
I won't happen. Phones are not jewellery. Watches are jewellery and we like shiny things. The watch is dead - long live the watch!
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Quite a few of my friends see no reason to have a watch whatsoever. In fact, there are probably more who don't wear a watch than do. All around late 20s, early 30s sort of age.
Luckily, I make up for their lack of watch purchasing single-handedly.
People also use their phones for, taking photos/watching films/as a torch/calculator/internet..etc etc...!#
I dont think phones will ever go completely "out of fashion", as such..
But what do I know!
They are two separate things that serve different purposes. My lad has his phone in his hand 24/7 and doesn't wear a watch for work or a daily basis, but has a couple of watches for when he is going out with the lads.
Very much a jewellery/fashion item. Of course he says one day he would love to own a Rolex, but for him and his mates who are all in the their mid 20s it's all about the car. They will throw every penny they have at it in order to have the best that they can.
The role reversal is quite amusing, he has a £10k car and I am driving around in a crappy old Fiesta worth about £200, but when it comes to watches the exact opposite is true.
I think within two generations, they will simply reading the time from their Iris implant or similar on the arm.Originally Posted by Dave+63
All hail the Mechanical God of Time and his Merry Minions!
Too much?
Alright, I'll tone it down.
Maybe, maybe not - the phones are already a status symbol, so only one step away from jewellery for some.
It's just a matter of time...
i read this last month...
https://www.fastcompany.com/40434548...analog-watches
i see tapes and vinyls making a come back as well... what is old is new again?!
watch fanatics aside, I think the watch will remain a symbol of status for some time to come.
From a purely utility perspective, the phone replaced watches back in 2000. I think almost everybody uses their phone as an alarm clock now.
Hell, I use my phone to time the accuracy of my watches using a watch app :)
Last edited by flareslove; 25th July 2017 at 17:00.
My two Grandsons (8 & 11) love their watches especially their G Shocks I bought them. Harry, the elder, also has a Citizen diver which he wears a lot and is becoming a bit of a WIS, always keen to see my collection! I've never seen them use their phones to see the time.
I think watches will still be around...a true watch enthusiast will never let a mobile phone replace they're mechanical piece of art. Maybe compliment it but never replace it...that's my two cents anyway
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I'm currently In Sweden and the majority of men I know here that are in their 50s don't wear a watch. I know a few 20 and 30 somethings here and they all wear a watch of some kind.
I forecast phones will be obsolete before watches.
Phones will be replaced by augmented reality glasses or some other tech, watches are jewellery and the observation of time is different to the other things we use tech for.
Funnily enough I mentioned this on another thread just today ... I stopped wearing a watch when I bought my first mobile phone. I got interested again later in life and the thing is always on my wrist, despite having a smartphone on me all the time too.
My son is also keen on watches and has a few ... the funky toy or 'spy' types. Granted he is too young to have a phone of his own so whether his first phone will replace the watches remains to be seen. However, I doubt it. He already wants "to have daddy's watch" when he grows up. I hope he means one just like mine and not literally my watch. No, it's not a PP and I am NOT merely looking after it for the next generation ...
I will admit I often check my phone for the time even when wearing a watch.
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My Smartphone has enabled me to wear a watch with fewer functions, which has lead me down the road of mechanical watches.
I use ClockSync on my phone to set my watches.
I think it is a very interesting question but nobody really knows the answer.
Who knows how the coming generation is going to feel as they grow older.
I hope the interest in mechanical watches continues to flourish.
The same way that's would replace laptop's, laptop's would replace the PC etc?
I cant speak for the toddler generation, but at uni where most were 18-21, I saw more people wearing watches than not, despite them having their phone in hand every second of the day.
I would rather walk out the house naked, than not have a watch on my wrist.
I actually wear a watch on my left wrist and an Apple watch on my right wrist. Been doing this for two years and it feels completely normal to me.
The reason for wearing the Apple watch is so that I can still read messages / see who is trying to phone my iPhone while I am holding a snake in my left hand during venom extractions at work.
No way I hate having to take my phone out of my pocket just to tell the time, best place to tell the time is on the wrist.
Is that a euphemism?
What on earth do you do for a living?!
Last edited by Filterlab; 25th July 2017 at 20:00.
I imagine the brain trusts at Swatch and Rolex and Seiko have been directing their efforts towards this very topic, and likely have plans of some sort to maintain (and grow) their businesses in the face of changing trends.
My daughter 14 years old just bought a watch off her own volition! It was a revelation- this is a girl who hand is jimped and crooked from holding an iPhone permanently.
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This might be the funniest thing I've read on here!
I don't claim to possess a crystal ball, but pretty much all the young lads where l work are very into designer brand watches and see them very much as a status symbol. They pretty much all, to a man, say they want an Omega or a "rollie" if and when they can afford one. Tags also seem to be well-regarded by the kids.
Mention patek or AP and blank stares ensue...
Well, most teenagers avoid wearing watches in my experience. And it's not just phones that are responsible. There's a clock in both our cars, a clock on the microwave and cooker, a clock on the house phone and I have a kitchen clock, one on the landing and one in each bedroom. The phone on my desk at work has a clock on it, and there's one in the corner of my computer monitor too. I've got a clock on the wall of the pool room (the snooker pool, not the wet kind!) - my blu ray player has one too, as has each stereo. Everything has a clock on it, and most people keep a phone on them when away from home. Even buses and time trains have clocks on them. So actually it's difficult to think of a time you ever need a watch in reality, and kids have worked this out!
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Apparently, the average age of a Porsche owner is 40 or thereabouts. It's obvious when you think about it, as they are expensive.
I think it's the same with a premium watch. Paying £5-10k at say under 25 must getting more difficult, especially now kids have to save such big deposits for houses.
I think the starting age of owning a watch will increase, added to the fact the youth of today are pretty tech savvy, so that's where this info evolves from.
Tube not time trains!!
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If it's anything like my house, every one will be showing a different time!
The only one I trust is my alarm clock.
I'll tell you what it is - personalisation - Swatch (brand) is experimenting it with as we speak - where you pick all the different elements and put your watch together for delivery - this will move up their brands. also Sistem51 is simply a testbed to automate most of the production - that will move the brands as well - you'll still get some guff from Omega about craftsmen but it will be all automated.
Fnar.
Search the forum for "Gaboon viper" and you'll see ;)
My mates kids, all teenagers with the latest iphones and whatever, all wear watches and a nephew of a friend of mine was showing me his recently purchased pre-owned Datejust a couple of weekends ago - he's 21, I think. Black dial, baton markers with a fluted bezel and Jubilee bracelet, probably not the usual choice for a young twenty something.
We seem to be caught in a time loop lately, like in one of those science fiction films. I'm concerned that I'll be reading a new thread and find out that I've already replied to it and have actually travelled back in time. But anyway...
If phones will replace watches for reading the time, why did wrist watches replace pocket watches?
Last edited by Itsguy; 25th July 2017 at 23:12.
There are quite a few guys in their 20s in my workplace who drool over nice watches. All of them use IPads, Smartphones, Apple watches, etc. My 16 year old son also likes watches, but that may have something to do with my influence...
Watches are essentially jewellery for many of us. I can't see that changing or even diluting for generations to come.
This is true. It's also a matter of priorities. I always coveted a nice watch but spent my money on travelling in my 20s and then saving for a house deposit. Only after buying a property did I allow myself to buy a decent watch.
You should drop in more often then.
Just wait until the impending thermonuclear war results in the wiping out of electronic media and we'll see if they can tell the time off their phones then...
Will they covet the Swiss in-house implant?
Well that's an interesting question - given the internals of a tag connect are identical as a $40 Chinese no-name smart watch...
Was there a similar debate about the demise of mechanical watches during the 'quartz crisis' in the 70s? Are we perhaps discussing the demise of the quartz watch? Although I still see the majority of watches worn being sub-£200 quartz variants.
Enough rambling.
Martyn
WTF?!
The jist of my original question was biased towards watches NOT being replaced by the phone due to the inconvenience of looking at the time on a phone in your pocket compared to the convenience of the time shown by a watch on your wrist.
Yes indeed to both above.
And this too...
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